Carlos Gomes’s Sonata para Cordas (“O Burrico de Pau”) is a rare and engaging chamber work from one of Brazil’s most celebrated Romantic composers. Written in 1894 for string ensemble, the sonata blends Gomes’s operatic gift for melody with the elegance and clarity of late-Romantic chamber writing, moving from lyrical warmth and spirited scherzo-like writing to an expressive slow movement and a brilliantly animated finale. The vivacious final movement, “O Burrico de Pau” — “The Little Wooden Donkey” — gives the work its memorable subtitle, with playful rhythmic figures and characterful gestures that bring humor, motion, and theatrical charm to the score. Ideal for performers seeking distinctive Romantic repertoire beyond the standard canon, this edition offers string players a rewarding work that is both historically significant and immediately appealing to audiences.
